Video: A Look Back at Brad Ray’s Yamaha WorldSBK Debut 

The Dutch TT of Assen saw Britain’s Bradley Ray take his first steps in the 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship with the Yamaha MotoXRacing WorldSBK Team, and we were there with the cameras to follow him behind-the-scenes through every moment.

Ray is participating in all the European rounds of this year’s WorldSBK Championship, and he is clearly adapting quickly; on just his second outing he had already scored points in three out of six races contested. Last year he sailed to the 2022 British Superbike Championship crown with nine wins on board a Yamaha R1, and the 25-year-old has a wealth of experience in various championships from his beginnings in the Red Bull Rookies Cup to a wildcard WorldSBK appearance at Donington Park in 2018.

With his ever-present smile and happy-go-lucky attitude, Ray explained: “I’m making progress all the time, understanding the bike and electronics. I’m feeling happy, I’m not feeling any pressure from the team or from Yamaha, and I already know where I want to be. As a racer I obviously want to be as high up as possible, but I’m keeping my goals realistic.”

Assen was the perfect place for the rider from Kent in England to debut with his new team, having already raced there in the British Superbikes. We followed him from Media Day on Thursday, through all the practice sessions and into the races, taking time to regularly catch up with Brad for chats and hear his thoughts and hopes.

After a slightly disappointing start with a DNF in Race 2 and two non-point scoring finishes at Assen, the Brit is primed for the coming rounds thanks to a solid weekend at the second round in Barcelona where he scored 13th, 14th, and 15th in the three races. “I’m feeling more and more comfortable on the bike with every session” states Ray. His adaptation to the new team, bike and paddock have been impressive so far, and we can’t wait to see what he has in store as the season continues.